Droesch, Corrigan Fall In NCAA’s

Minnesota’s Kadidja Andersson (35) looks to pass around Boston College’s Clare Droesch in the first half of their NCAA Mideast Regional semifinal game Sunday, March 28, 2004, at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber).

The Eagles were flying high after winning against Ohio State to advance to the round of 16. But the Eagles and Clare Droesch faced a buzzsaw in the Minnesota Golden Gophers and lost 76-63 last Sunday.

Gophers’ head coach Pam Brown, a former assistant to current Eagles head coach Cathy Inglese, saw team scored 12 consecutive points in the third quarter to give the Gophers a big lead.

The Gophers eventually beat #1 seed Duke to advance to the Final Four. It was a season to remember for the Eagles (27-7) after beating #1 seeded Connecticut and winning the Big East championship.

For Droesch, it was a season that cemented her spot in the Eagles starting lineup. It also was a chance to display the all-around game and toughness that made her excel at Christ The King.

Boston College’s Clare Droesch sits on the bench after fouling out against Minnesota in their NCAA Mideast Regional semifinal game Sunday, March 28, 2004, at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va. Minnesota won, 76-63, and will play Duke Tuesday night for a trip to the Final Four. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton).

Droesch played a team high 38 minutes, scored 17 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. She was one of a few Eagles who played hurt while they advanced to the Sweet 16 according to head coach Cathy Inglese.

"Clare (Droesch) had two stress fractures at the Big East Tournament, and Mo (Leahy, starting center) was playing with a separated shoulder."

Even with her injuries, Droesch averaged 35 minutes a game in the Big East and NCAA Tournament. She will be one of two seniors on next year’s s roster that can be just as good. Freshman center Katherin Ross showed a lot of promise in her first season and sophomore Lisa Macchia will also provide scoring and defense.

The team will be looking forward to the same results next year according to coach Cathy Inglese. "It’s heartbreaking, but I can’t tell you how excited I am for us. I’m extremely pleased with this team and their accomplishments this season.

Corrigan, Amherst Fall

It was the first time the Amherst College Jeffs went to the NCAA Division III finals. But it wasn’t the first time they faced rival Williams College. Though they played hard, Amherst fell to Williams for the third time this season, 86-81 in the Final Four played in Salem Virginia last month.

The Jeffs led by their largest margin of the game, 64-58 with 10:40 to go in the second half. But Corrigan and the Jeffs saw their lead whittle down and Michael Crotty gave the Ephs a 79-77 lead with 2 minutes left and pull out the victory.

Amherst closed out their campaign with a 96-85 loss to John Carroll in the consolation game. They finished with a 27-5 season as Corrigan, who will be a senior next year, led the team in assists with 142 and finished with 5.4 points per game.